, 1887-12-08

laws that guarantee his right, and priv
clcgcS. Consultation OF our laws 10y ouI
citizens l. rendered still more difficult iy
the absence of anything that can Urudcrly
hr Call1t an inlcX 10 the volumes T,
remedy these faults there seems to be 4
general desire for the roditication Of our
statutes / suggest that instead Of Il cod
iticatl"n OF our present laws, q commits,
sion Toe created and instructed To prepare
hoy submission To- the next legislature a
CivIl. criminal, and probate code, he
IHg guided m their iaborS hv an adher-
enCe 10 the spirit Cf our laws as hereto
. fore instituted. 1t should also compile
all general laws under 4 separate head.
and provide Il competent index for the
| whole system.
TERRITORIAL UNIVERSITY.
The report of the Board OF Regents of
the Territorial University, which is
herewith submitted, will be found to
| contain full Information in regard to the
condition and neRds of that institution.
The blank IN paragraph =, page 30, OF
/ the pamphlet should be filled by the in
| sertIOn OF lOl, 81, as shown by the letter
| of transmittal of the Treasurer's report
/ in the appendix.
call your attention to the remarks
! OF the regents on university lands. Ev-
/ cry step tnat appears necessary to pro-
tect any OF the lanis granted for educa-
| tlOnal purposes shoDId be taken, for
| these lands are the most valuable herit-
age OF the people.
COMMON SCHOOLS.
The report OF the superintendent
/ OF Common Schools shows that there
| were 47,43l children Of school age
| during the past year and that four
/ and one-half months of school were
! taught on an average in each school
! district. The amount OF money ex-
! pended WIS SaO5,365. There are 1,236
! teachers now in the Territory. This re-
| port, which will be laid on yonr desks, is
replete with information in regard to
| past and present history of our schools
| and Is worthy of careful perusaI. The
| common schools of the country should
| always receive the most careful conSid-
alton and the must liberal treatment,
for there Is where our youth are fur
nished with the keys that enable them to
unlock the doors of all knowledge Ed
ucatlOu applied TO intelligence Is what
makes good citizeus audkOur institutions
will be safe in the hands OF a people who
can read and think.
SCHOOL FOR DEFECTIVE YOUTH.
call your attention to the report of
the Board OF Trustees of the Washing
ton School for Defective Youth, which
accompanies this message. 1t describes
IN very interesting manner the work.
ingS OF the institution under dIsadvau-
tHgeuus circumstances. The inmates of
this school and those who are entitled to
become inmates deserve great consider
alton, because III an uneducated state
they ire in ignorance and brutishness,
while having the Capacity to receive ID-
stTuetIOn and become selfsuppuTting
and happy. The Territory should deal
lberally with the unfortunate.
GROSS EARNINGS ACT.
1t is undoubtedly the will of the peo-
pie that the act of the Legislature ap-
proved November 2Stb, 1888, known as
the Gross Earning Tax Law should be
repealed. While this should be done at
the session, your constituents will uI-
dnubtedty expect that you devise some
better scheme OF taxation of railway
properties IN It's place. The conclusion
has been reached by the people of this
Territory that railway corporations
have not been bearing their due share
of The burdens OF taxation. The people
are not wrong III this matter, and they
confidently expect their just complaints
in that regard will be heard by your
honorable body and Il remedy provided.
Questions OF revenue are always difficult
to deal with, and require much research
and thought, but l have no doubt that
your honorable body will be able to for
mulate bill in the premises. which,
while entirely just to them, will effectu-
N
their duty OF supporting the govern
ment In their due proportion. The peO-
pie simply want fair play in this matter.
FREIGBTs AND FARES
On my recent trip to the eastern
part of the Territory l heard many
complaints of exhorbitant charges on
the part Of railway companies for
carrying the crof s TO the seaboard.
The people believe these complaints
to be just and are looking to the Leg
islature for some kind of relief. Ii
the transportation companies would
come forward IN good faith and
cooperate with the agents of the
people ins ian effort to prepare a meas
ure that would be Gust to all con-
cerned, there would not be much
difficulty In solving the problem.
Unfortunately, however, they appear
to have pursued an obstructive policy
and to have denied the right of the
Legislatures of the people to interfere
in the premises. Under these cir.
cumstances the work of deYising
proper regulations becomes one of
great difficulty. All that can be done
is to advise n statute that appears to
answer the purpose and subsequently
amend it, as defeats are noticed IN
practice, until it becomes as perfect
as may be. The right of the Legis-
lature to regulate freights and fares
should not be doubted, however, and
they should never forego their deter
mination to exercise it.
FISHERY LAWS.
During the past season an effort
was made to enforce the laws of the
Territory, which provide for close
season for salmon in the Columbia
river. Learning that the laws were
being generally neglected, l made
two visits to the river counties and
personally co-operated with the sher-
ifs there to enforce cessation of
illegal fishing This was finally ac
complished, more, perhaps, by COM
mon consent than from fear of the
laws, which were considered to be
difficult of enforcement owing to al
legged technical defeats The salmon
fisheries of the Columbia and other
Washington Territory rivers, will
yield from two to three million dol
lars per annum according to the
season for an indefinite time, if pru-
IDENTIFY and economically managed.
As at present managed, however, the
industry will be destroyed within the
next five years. 1 suggest that the
matter is of such Importance that it
would justify the appointment of a
| special committee to consider 1t. A
committee of the Oregon Legislature
| aT,pnintal OF tho 1oSk nf